1994 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE towing

Towinga Trailer
L
NOTICE:
Pulling a trailer improperly can
damage your vehicle and result in
costly repairs not covered by your
warranty. To pull a trailer correctly,
follow the advice in this section,
and see your Oldsmobile dealer for
important information about
towing a trailer with your vehicle.
Your vehicle can tow a trailer. To
identify what the vehicle trailering
capacity is for your vehicle, you should
read the information in
Weight of the
Trailer that appears later in this section.
But trailering is different than just
driving your vehicle by itself. Trailering
means changes in handling, durability,
and fuel economy. Successful, safe
trailering takes correct equipment, and
it has to be used properly.
That’s the reason for this section. In it
are many time-tested, important
trailering tips and safety rules. Many of
these are important for your safety and
that of your passengers.
So please read
this section carefully before you pull a trailer.
Load-pulling components such as the
engine, transaxle, wheel assemblies, and
tires are forced to work harder against
the drag of the added weight. The
engine is required to operate at
relatively higher speeds and under
greater loads, generating extra heat.
What’s more, the trailer adds
considerably to wind resistance,
increasing the pulling requirements.
If You Do Decide To Pull A Trailer
If you do, here are some important
points.
There are many different laws having
to do with trailering. Make sure your
rig will be legal, not only where you
live but
also where you’ll be driving. A
good source for this information can
be state or provincial police.
Consider using a sway control if your
trailer will weigh
2,000 pounds (900
kg) or less. You should always use a
sway control if your trailer will weigh
more than
2,000 pounds (900 kg).
You can ask a hitch dealer about sway
controls.
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Your Driving and the Road
152
Don’t tow a trailer at all during the
first
500 miles (800 ltm) your new
vehicle is driven. Your engine, axle or
other parts could be damaged.
. Then, during the first 500 miles (800
km) that you tow a trailer, don’t drive
over
50 mph (80 lun/h) and don’t
make starts at full throttle. This helps
your engine and other parts of your
vehicle wear in at the heavier loads.
Three important considerations have to
do with weight:
Weight of the Trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be? It should never
weigh more than 1,400
pounds (630 kg) with up to six
occupants or more than 2,000 pounds
(900 kg) with up to two occupants
unless you have the optional trailer-
towing package. With the trailer-towing
package (available only with the 3800
V6 engine), your vehicle can tow up to
2,400 pounds
(1 090 kg) with up to six
occupants or
up to 3,000 pounds (1 360
kg) with up to two occupants. But even
that can be too heavy.
It depends on how you plan
to use your
rig.
For example, speed, altitude, road
grades, outside temperature and how much
your vehicle is used to pull a
trailer are all important. And, it can also
depend
on any special equipment that
you have on your vehicle.
You can
ask your dealer for our
trailering information or advice, or you
can write
us at:
Oldsmobile Customer Assistance
P.O.
Box 30095
Lansing, MI 48909
In Canada, write to:
General Motors of Canada Limited
Customer Assistance Center 1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario L1H 8P7
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Your Driving and the Road
154
hitches to them. Use only a frame-
mounted hitch that does not attach to
the bumper.
Safety Chains
You should always attach chains
between
your vehicle and your trailer.
Cross the safety chains under the
tongue of the trailer
so that the tongue
will not drop to the road if it becomes
separated from the hitch. Instructions
about safety chains may be provided by
the hitch manufacturer
or by the trailer
manufacturer. Follow the
manufacturer’s recommendation for
attaching safety chains. Always leave
just enough slack
so you can turn with
your rig. And, never allow safety chains
to drag on the ground.
Trailer Brakes
If your trailer weighs more than 1,000
pounds (450 kg) loaded, then it needs
its own brakes
- and they must be
adequate. Be sure to read and follow
the instructions for the trailer brakes
so
you’ll be able to install, adjust and
maintain them properly. Because
you have anti-lock brakes, do
not try to tap into your vehicle‘s brake
system. If you do, both brake systems
won’t work well, or at all.
Driving with a Trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain
amount of experience. Before setting
out for the open road,
you’ll want to get
to know your rig. Acquaint yourself
with the feel of handling and braking
with the added weight of the trailer.
And always keep in mind that the
vehicle you are driving is now a good
deal longer and not nearly
so responsive
as your vehicle is by itself.
Before you start, check the trailer hitch
and platform, safety chains, electrical
connector, lights, tires and mirror
adjustment. If the trailer has electric
brakes, start your vehicle and trailer
moving and then apply the trailer brake
controller by hand to be sure the brakes
are working. This lets you check your
electrical connection at the same time.
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During your trip, check occasionally to
be sure that the load is secure, and that
the lights and
any trailer brakes are still
working.
Following Distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the
vehicle ahead as you would when
driving your vehicle without a trailer.
This can help you avoid situations that
require heavy braking and sudden
turns.
Passing
You’ll need more passing distance up
ahead when you’re towing a trailer.
And, because you’re a good deal longer,
you’ll need to go much farther beyond
the passed vehicle before you can return
to your lane.
Backing Up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel
with one hand. Then, to move the
trailer to the left, just move that hand to
the left.
To move the trailer to the right,
move your hand to the right. Always back up
slowly and, if possible, have
someone guide you.
Making Turns
When you’re turning with a trailer,
make wider turns than normal. Do this
so your trailer won’t strike soft
shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees, or
other objects. Avoid jerky or sudden
maneuvers. Signal well in advance.
Turn Signals When Towing a
Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has
to have a different turn signal flasher
and extra wiring. The green arrows on
your instrument panel will flash
whenever you signal a turn or lane
change. Properly hooked up, the trailer
lights will
also flash, telling other
drivers you’re about to turn, change
lanes or stop.
When towing a trailer, the green arrows
on your instrument panel will flash for
turns even
if the bulbs on the trailer are
burned out. Thus, you may think
drivers behind you are seeing your signal
when they are not.
It’s important
to check occasionally to be sure the
trailer bulbs are still working.
Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear
before you start down a long or steep
downgrade. If you don’t
shift down, you
might have to use your brakes
so much
that they would get hot and
no longer
work well.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and
reduce your speed to around
45 mph
(70 lwh) to reduce the possibility of
engine and transaxle overheating.
If you are towing a trailer that weighs
more than
1,000 pounds (454 kg), and
you have an automatic transaxle with
Overdrive, you may prefer to drive in
D
instead of Overdrive (or, as you need to,
a lower gear). This will minimize heat
build-up and extend the life of your
transaxle.
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Your Driving and the Road
156
Parking on Hills
You really should not park your vehicle,
with a trailer attached, on a hill. If
something goes wrong, your rig could
start to move. People can be injured,
and both your vehicle and the trailer
can be damaged.
But
if you ever have to park your rig on
a hill, here’s how to do it:
1. Apply your regular brakes, but don’t
shift into
P (Park) yet.
2. Have someone place choclts under
the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place,
release the regular brakes until the
chocks absorb the load.
apply your parking brake, and then
shift to
P (Park).
4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then
5. Release the regular brakes.
When You Are Ready to Leave
Affer Parking on a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold
the pedal down while
you:
Start your engine;
Shift into a gear; and
Release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear
4. Stop and have someone pick up and
of
the chocks.
store the chocks.
Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more
often when you’re pulling a trailer. See
the Maintenance Schedule
for more on
this. Things that are especially important in
trailer operation are
automatic transaxle fluid (don’t
overfill), engine oil, belts, cooling
system, and brake adjustment. Each of
these is covered in this manual, and the
Index will help you find them quicltly. If
you’re trailering, it’s a good idea to
review these sections before you start
your trip.
Check periodically to see that all hitch
nuts and bolts are tight.
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Here you’ll find what to do about
some problems that can occur
on the
road
.
Part 5
Problems on the Road
Hazard Warning Flashers ..................... .. ................................................................ 158 .
Jump Starting ........................................................................\
.................................. 158
Towing Your Vehicle
........................................................................\
....................... 162
Engine Overheating
........................................................................\
......................... 165
If a Tire Goes Flat
........................................................................\
........................... 172
Changing a Flat Tire
........................................................................\
........................ 172
Compact Spare Tire ........................................................................\
........................ 178
If You’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow ......................................................... 179
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Problems on the Road
I62
10. Now start the vehicle with the good
battery and run the engine for a
while.
11. Try to start the vehicle with the
dead battery. If it won’t start after a
few tries,
it probably needs service. w I
12. Remove the cables in reverse order
to prevent electrical shorting. Take
care that they don’t touch each
other or any other metal.
A
8
liowing Your Vehicle
Try to have a GM dealer or a
xofessional towing service tow your
3ldsmobile. The usual towing
:quipment
is:
[A) Sling-type tow truck
[B) Wheel-lift tow truck
:C) Car carrier
f your vehicle has been changed or
nodified since it was factory-new by
idding aftermarket items like fog lamps,
tero skirting, or special tires and
vheels, these instructions and
llustrations may not be correct.
3efore you do anything, turn on the
lazard warning flashers.
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When you call, tell the towing service:
That your vehicle cannot be towed
from the front with sling-type
equipment.
drive.
vehicle.
lever. damaged.
That your vehicle has front-wheel
The make, model, and year of your
Whether you can still move the shift
If there W~S an accident, what was
When the towing service arrives, let the
tow operator know that this manual
contains detailed towing instructions
and illustrations. The operator may
want to see them.
I should be clamped in a straight-ahead
When your vehicle
is being towed, have
the ignition key
off. The steering wheel designed for towing service.
Do not
use
the vehicle’s steering column lock for
this. The transaxle should be in Neutral
and the parking brake released.
Don’t have your vehicle towed on the
front wheels, unless
you must. If the
vehicle must be towed on the front
wheels, don’t go more than
35 mph (56
l or your transaxle will be damaged.
If these
limits must be exceeded, then the front
wheels have to be supported on a dolly.
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